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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · shower · field · stand · charge · bore · wax · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. swing — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stand — to bear
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — a subject
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — army training
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — for sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — a price
  19. bore — to tire
  20. charge — in control
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com